Three Rings (The Fairytail Saga) (20 page)

Lincoln walked into the room, surprised that it was a brighter space than he’d imagined. ‘It’s a sweet pad,’ he said. He stopped and smiled when he saw the flower arrangements he’d had Pintang bring over now sat on the edge of each stair. Their blooms added warmth to the space, and a lovely fragrance was in the air that was almost overwhelming.

Ivyanne followed his gaze. ‘
Your
doing, I assume?’ she asked.

He shrugged. ‘They’re from the guests. I just had them brought here.’

‘Well they’re lovely-thank you. And pass that on to the guests who sent them.’ She looked around. ‘So you like it? It’s a bit modern…’

‘I love it,’ he said honestly. ‘Could use a bit more furniture, and the art sucks...But I could definitely get comfortable here.’

‘Actually-I quite like the art. It’s clean and bright.’ Ivyanne sat down on the couch, patting the space beside her. ‘So I take it that mum told you? That I’m not..’ her voice faltered.

Lincoln tried to look collected, and concerned. He was concerned, of course, but her closeness clouded the sad part of his mind. He stretched his arm behind her head. ‘She did,’ he said gravely. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Are you?’

Lincoln looked up, knowing she could see right through him. He toyed with one of her large curls, running the strand between his fingers. ‘I’m sorry that
you’re
sad,’ he said honestly, staring into her brilliant green eyes. ‘I was willing to help you, and love the child, if it was born…..But I can’t pretend that I don’t love the idea of a clean slate for us as well.’

Ivyanne rested her cheek against his hand. ‘Of course you do,’ she said softly. ‘I’d know you were lying if you said otherwise. And this
will
make things easier on us, but….’

‘But you wanted a part of him?’ Lincoln asked.

She nodded. ‘Yes. My feelings aside-this is the second full-blood boy from the Loveridge family to be wasted in a year. His parents are so upset, they can’t even
talk
. I would have felt so much better if I’d brought a grand-child into the sea for them, to replace the sons they’d lost.’

Lincoln hadn’t actually realized that before-but Ivyanne was right. Tristan’s parents had lost
both
of their sons. It was horrific. He started to feel awful that he’d been glad that Ivyanne wasn’t pregnant. It was a devastating loss to the kingdom.

‘Don’t you go looking guilty,’ Ivyanne said quickly. ‘That’s my issue Link. You’re allowed to be relieved.’

‘No, I’m an asshole,’ Lincoln muttered. ‘A complete, selfish asshole.’

She ran her face down his arm, settling against the groove of his shoulder. ‘No, you’re not.’

‘Yes, I am,’ Lincoln ran a hand through his hair. ‘Becoming a merman has changed me, Ivyanne. I’ve been acting like a-’

‘Like a
merman
,’ Ivyanne said softly. Her hand rested on his heart. ‘This is beating faster and harder-it exaggerates things,’ she slid her hand up to his head. ‘Doing the nice thing isn’t a priority in here anymore, Link, it comes second to survival. And as far as survival goes….’ her hand drifted down, resting on his upper thigh. ‘
This
is dictating you more than you realize. The desire to spread your seed….it’s not because you look shit-hot now Link-it’s because your
life focus
has shifted. You’re not as self-aware now as you were as a man, or as you will be when you’ve become accustomed to this body….but in time, you’ll get it.’

Lincoln tilted her face up to look at him. ‘You’re telling me that it’s normal for our priorities to get messed up?’

‘Not messed up-our priorities
are
simply different.’ Ivyanne toyed with a strand of hair absently. ‘That’s why I’m cuddled up to you now, despite the fact that a man I loved died tragically a week ago-it’s a survival instinct. A large part of me wants to cry, but the rational part of me understands that things have happened, and now I have to find a new way to bear children...it’s not even something we
think
of Link, and it’s not really anything we expect each other to explain.’

‘Fair enough…’ Lincoln mulled it over, fondling her hair. ‘But the way you blew up the other day….when you thought I’d been with those girls...’ he cringed, loathe to raise the subject but knowing it needed to be aired out.

‘Oh so we’re going to go there?’ She chuckled. ‘I may have expected less from Tristan, Link, but I’m no more used to you being a mer than
you
are.’ Her eyes flashed green fire. ‘And the spa thing was a bit much to take. Even Tristan would have been ripped a new one over that.’

‘I crossed a line,’ he whispered, kissing the top of her head. ‘I was afraid of losing you and Sherri and Lux were topping up my self esteem, I guess. It felt good, but I knew I’d put myself in a stupid situation the moment Lux-’ He glanced down at her. ‘She kissed me, Ivyanne-but I was about to push her away when I saw Pintang. You have to believe me.’

‘I do. I did straight away. That just wasn’t the point.’

Lincoln caught her hand, brought it to his lips, kissing it in gratitude. But the silkiness of her skin was more stimulating than he’d anticipated, and everything inside him seemed to lean towards her, aching when it couldn’t connect fully. He groaned, shocked at his own audacity-being aroused by a grieving girl he’d come to comfort was despicable.

‘God, here I go again…’ he pushed her hand away, and inched over to the other side of the couch. ‘I’m actually really upset over all of this, but when you touch me…’

‘Survival instinct,’ she said softly, hugging a cushion to her chest, eyes sparkling. ‘Me too. The drugs Aubrielle has me on probably aren’t hurting either.’ She sighed, pulling up her knees, blocking him. ‘Back when my great-grandmother was very young, love was basically unheard of within our kind. A side effect, I suppose, of living so long...falling in love was pointless. There were no marriages between mermaids for the first two hundred years. It was like no one cared about exclusivity. We followed our natural instincts.’ She rested her feet against his thigh. ‘I suppose we’ll evolve in time, when there are more of us and our existence is less precarious. But until then, we’re stuck with these instincts.’

That made sense to Lincoln. ‘So how will
you
evolve, sweet Ivyanne?’ he asked, throwing his arm across the back of the couch again, just so it was closer to her. ‘How long do you think it will be before you’re ready to live like….’ words failed him.

‘Like….?’ Ivyanne prompted.

Lincoln cleared his throat. ‘Like you don’t still belong to him.’

She lifted her brows. ‘Am I acting like that?’

He nodded, taking her fingers in his. ‘Will you ever tell me?’

‘Tell you what?’

‘Who your choice was going to be?’

Ivyanne frowned. ‘
Not
having to make this decision is the only good thing that’s come out of any of this. I’ll just say that it depended on my pregnancy, and leave it at that.’

‘So it was a draw?’ Lincoln’s heart sank. ‘The baby was going to be the tie-breaker?’

Ivyanne lifted her watery eyes to his. ‘Can you live with that?’

‘I have to,’ Lincoln said softly, feeling his confidence waning once again. ‘I mean, I thought I was the love of your life, sweetheart. It kills me to know that I wasn’t the only one who-’

Ivyanne’s finger pressed against his lips. ‘Please,’ she implored him in a tiny voice. ‘I’m hanging on by a thread.’ She took her hand away. ‘You
are
the man I think of, when I think of love. You are the one I’ve always dreamed of, and you’re going to be the one I spend my life with. My confusion stemmed from so much more than my feelings-you
know
that. It was about politics, and honoring Ardhi’s sacrifice, and being loyal to my own kind….’ she shook herself slightly. ‘I won’t disrespect Tristan’s memory by saying any more than that, or downplaying how I felt-and
still
feel-for him. But you have to understand that I know that I’m where I’m
supposed
to be. I just don’t like how I’ve
gotten
here.’

Lincoln allowed his heart to give a hopeful thump. ‘So you think we’re destined to be together too?’ he asked quietly, finding her hand again.

Ivyanne nodded. ‘Everything that’s happened in my life-awful or good-has brought us to this moment.’ Her green eyes searched his. ‘Don’t you agree?’

He did. He leaned forward eagerly, his eyes beginning to drift to her lips as his need to convince her of their perfection with his body overwhelmed him once more. How much longer could he be expected to wait?

‘I’m weakening too.’ Her fingers grazed his lips, and he closed his eyes, imagining her mouth there. The air became thin, the scent of yellow roses made him dizzy. ‘Just so you’re aware.’

Lincoln let his weight drift forward, until his forehead was resting against her chest. He breathed her heavenly aroma in and out, listening to her pounding heart and knowing without a doubt, that she wanted him as much as he did her. For now, he’d take whatever he could.

⁓

Vana smiled approvingly at Lincoln over the top of Ivyanne’s head on Sunday afternoon, spooning a piece of white chocolate cake-an unusual treat for her-into her mouth and gloating in satisfaction. Ivyanne wasn’t holding his hand or anything like that, but she was there, and she had even smiled a few times. For now, that was progress enough.

‘Wow Vana!’ Saraya exclaimed, holding up the black pearl earrings to her earlobes and grinning. The petite girl was practically buried under a mound of wrapping paper. ‘I love them! Thank you!’

‘You’re welcome,’ Vana said, before turning to Pintang. ‘This cake is delicious! If I’d tried this a hundred years ago...I might have been dead by now.’

‘I’ll take that as a compliment,’ Pintang joked. ‘Dad still won’t touch it.’

Joakim looked at the half slab of cake in the centre of the picnic table doubtfully. His stark grey hair contrasted to his ruddy olive skin. ‘It’s
that
good?’ he asked. ‘Even with all of that
sugar
?’

Joakim was famous for adhering to a strict vegan, sugarless and organic diet. It made him a painful house guest. But his unlined face was a testament to the benefits of self-deprivation.

‘You should try some,’ Lux said, a blissful expression on her face as she licked cream off her finger. ‘This is lovely.’

‘He won’t like it,’ Pintang said quickly. ‘I once saw him spit out a mouthful of
water
because he thought he tasted sugar in there.’

‘There was!’ Joakim protested.

‘That’s a shame,’ Vana said with a smile. ‘Oh well, more for the rest of us!’

‘Presents are unwrapped!’ Saraya announced. ‘What now?’ Her dark eyes were shining with merriment. Vana was pleased to see so many smiles in one day after such an awful week. It was a bright, sunny day, the air was crisp and the water refreshing. The party on the small beach in front of her house was proving to be a great success. Even Ardhi’s parents seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

‘Well we humans have a party game that might be a hell of a lot of fun played in the company of such gorgeous women.’ He slung his arm casually over Ivyanne’s shoulders. ‘Are you familiar with the rules of spin the bottle?’

‘Hey...that sounds like fun!’ Lux said, coming to stand beside Lincoln and suckling more cream off her pinkie finger. She winked at him. ‘I’m in!’

Vana wanted to roll her eyes, but Ivyanne did it for her, reaching around Lincoln to shove Lux gently, playfully.

‘Your enthusiasm is the precise reason I’m vetoing, missy. I’ve still got one eye on you.’

Lux laughed good-naturedly and stepped away. ‘If you’re going to let Lincoln get around shirtless, you might want to make it
two
eyes honey.’

‘Duly noted. Hey Link! Put a shirt on before Lux gets a beat down!’

Looking perplexed and half amused, Lincoln turned to Saraya. ‘It’s
your
birthday. What do you want to do?’

‘Watch a movie!’ Saraya returned without pause.

‘A
movie
?’ Dalton demanded. ‘For your fiftieth?’

‘Oh Saraya’s a major film buff.’ Ivyanne said, popping a stray grain of rice from her sushi into her mouth delicately.

‘As in a major fan, or major films?’ Joakim cracked. This time, it was his wife who swatted him.

‘Any.’ Saraya said. ‘I love them all.’

‘Yeah, except she only gets one day off every seven months.’ Ivyanne joked. ‘So she never gets to actually watch one!’

‘Come now!’ Vana smiled at her daughter. ‘I’m not that bad. In fact I nurture her passion. Didn’t I get you the limited edition Blu Ray of that horrid movie you like just last week?’

‘There’s nothing horrid about Romeo and Juliet.’ Saraya said primly. ‘In fact, most humans agree that it’s the love story of the ages.’

‘Well they’re a flawed race, we know this.’ But Vana got to her feet. ‘Okay let’s all file inside. The birthday girl has spoken-Double suicide it is!’